ESPN apologizes for Michael Sam shower report

ESPN has issued an apology for the way it handled a controversial Tuesday report on Michael Sam's shower habits. The report included nearly a minute-long segment about several Rams teammates' opinions on Sam's shower procedure. That angle, playing to the worst stereotypes of gay men in the locker room, drew immediate criticism on social media. ESPN offered a clarification on Tuesday afternoon, and on Wednesday morning, went a step further:

"ESPN regrets the manner in which we presented our report. Clearly yesterday we collectively failed to meet the standards we have set in reporting on LGBT-related topics in sports."

Here's the original report:

That report also prompted Sam's teammate Chris Long to take his side, tweeting that "Everyone but [ESPN] is over it" — "it" being, of course, the "story" of a gay man in the NFL.

Sam survived the latest round of cuts, and is currently listed on the Rams' 75- man roster.